Wednesday, July 25, 2012

At the top of his game

Associated Press photo

Stephen Strasburg struck out 11 over seven innings to earn his 11th win.

NEW YORK -- As much as Davey Johnson and Steve McCatty have been pounding the idea into Stephen Strasburg's head to use his fastball more and not fiddle around with his devastating offspeed stuff, it's not always as easy as it sounds.

"Once you've got, I guess, the lights are on and you're facing another team, you want to go out there and really make your stuff really dirty," Strasburg said. "It's something that I think when I take a step back and relax and let it happen, instead of force the issue, it helps out a lot."

If that's true, Strasburg might have been so relaxed this afternoon he mistakenly thought he was lounging on a Caribbean beach instead of standing on the mound at Citi Field before a crowd of 35,517.

Utilizing his fastball more than ever and attacking the Mets lineup with an aggressive approach the Nationals haven't always seen out of him, Strasburg steamrolled his way through seven innings and pitched his club to a 5-2 victory, a series sweep and a new high-water mark for the season.Read more

I am watching the game on my DVR. I am amazed at how much calmer he looked today. No energy wasted on fussing with his clothes or the mound. Steady body language. Strikes. Very nice. On the other hand- I just reached the part where Henry comes in- I know how it ends but my heart rate is rising anyway.

We should not forget that, after his last start, Johnson took Strasburg to the woodshed for putzing around w/ hitters and not relying on his "stuff." It's a good thing that Johnson can deliver that message with credibility and that Strasburg can listen constructively.

Look at the change in Jordan since last year. He was good, but had some days that were iffy. This year he is solid as a rock, getting stronger, and has a great big mound presence. I agree with you that next year will be special for Stras. I also think Bryce will be all nice and settled in next year.

The other thing Clipp has in his favor is he throws that change-up of his with EXACTLY the same arm movement that he uses with his fastball. So to my way of thinking, his change-up is his out pitch, not the other way around. He wastes the fastball to set up the change.

Sunshine, that's the key. You can't tell from Clip's motion which pitch he will throw, nor where it will be located. In his interview on the subject, he said he studies video of himself (not hitters) so that his motion will be exactly what he wants it to be.

baseballswami said...Look at the change in Jordan since last year. He was good, but had some days that were iffy. This year he is solid as a rock, getting stronger, and has a great big mound presence. I agree with you that next year will be special for Stras.

Posted something like this earlier today. If 2013 Strasburg compares to 2012 Strasburg the way 2012 Zimmermann compares to 2011 Zimmermann, lord have mercy on the rest of the league. Imagine having the Nats for a 4-game series and hoping to catch a break in games 3 and 4 when you face the weaker part of the Nats' rotation - Gio and Det.

I waited a bit and read the comments before posting on HRod. To keep HRod on the roster (absent an 'injury' and a DL trip), soon we will have to send either Stammen or Mattheus down. On Sept 1, we bring whoever gets sent down back. That's the cost to the team to keep him. Is it worth the risk during August particularly when we know the video game HRod is unhittable at his best?

One thought that is still in my head is that it's worth trying to re-establish video game HRod, because he WILL be on the post-season roster assuming we continue on at our current pace.

Assume we have 12 pitchers on our post-season roster. Four starters and eight relievers. Consider the following:

So Saturday at this time, we were playing the Barves after having lost in epic fashion the night before and in the afternoon game. John Lannan was on the mound and many posters had snickered during the week and predicted the worst. It is only four days later - four. Five wins in a row and - if you count ejax on Saturday afternoon- 6 rock solid pitching performances by 6 different pitchers and look where we are now. Baseball is scary in that so much can happen in such a short time. Lots of major players have changed teams since then - I feel like it's been weeks. Some were convinced that our season was crashing down around us. You know we are going to hit some more blips. This team rebounds like nobody's business. Again - only four days have passed. That just blows my mind. Strassie just looked back to being right today and so did Gio last night and so did Clip. Getting excited about Storen, too. Go Nats!

About Clip's delivery -- I had great RC seats for the Turn Back the Clock night vs the Giants, and took some telephotos of Clip in his motion. Another deceptive part of his delivery is that his hand stays well below his wrist until the last possible moment, so hitters have virtually no time to see the ball coming out of his hand.

I see that Tat - Man went to the Rays , and has hit a home run. It is going to take me a while to get used to Ichiro being a Yankee, Hanley being a Dodger and several of the other changes. Hoping we continue to stay the course. I did not realize that Danny has like an 11 game hit streak going. So nice for him - he has worked so hard. Rare for Zim to go 0-fer, we have gotten so used to multiple hit games for him.

Probably right about that Feel Wood - but I still hope he takes his time. And I would just like to add that after everything I have been listening to on the radio, tv, internet - even with our HRod command issues, I am utterly and completely grateful for our team's total lack of drama.

NJ--not much else to discuss... everything else about the game went swimmingly :):)

FW--true, if he can get strength back in his wrist to grasp bat with some power. Hard to tell from an 0-fer if it is a matter of not having his eye (as perhaps was the case with Morse) or not having strength yet.

Jayson walked so the eye is not a problem. Believe me, I am pulling for Jayson as much as any Nats fan. Oh - one more thing about our Henry. I hope he has some idea of how lucky he is to be with the Nats. This franchise is very careful with it's players and seems to be very respectful of them as people. And I think our players seem to be easy to get along with, the fans are pretty tolerant. There are some franchises in some cities, which shall go un-named for now - that would be chewing him up and spitting him out. They would be destroying him.

Ok NatsJack.....I'm a stat rat, especially with pitchers. This guy has very impressive stats. Hits to innings is outstanding and so is the k's to innings. Was a 3rd rounder with the Yankees back in 04. Looks like he missed a season....07 I believe. How we get him?

First if all, Steve McCatty is a treasure. I am sure that he loves his job, but look at the group he is responsible for- it's formidable. He is hilarious. I wish I could listen in on him for just one day. Heard him on the radio- very direct and does not hold back with his opinions. He seems to be respected by the players and the organization. Cool guy.

So NatsJack has decreed that we have all wasted our time talking about H-Rod. He's the most inscrutable reliever in our pen. The guy who has 3 spectacularly blown saves and wild pitched his way into the doghouse, but also wowed us with this velocity and his stuff over the past two years, making parting with him very difficult. What to do with H-Rod presents perhaps the most difficult challenge for Davey and Rizzo as they look ahead to the playoffs. But it's a waste of time discussing what they should or might do because it will all work out, don't worry.

Instead, we're told we should be talking about a reliever in AAA who only a handful of people here have ever heard of, much less seen or have something worthwhile to offer on. Huh?

I've found the H-Rod discussion interesting and illuminating after a terrific win this afternoon, along with another infuriating H-Rod appearance. f you have an alternative conversation topic you want to suggest, feel free. But if this thread is going to turn into an esoteric discussion of the minor league stats built up by a prospect, I can get that by starting to read peric's comments again. I think I'll pass.

Instead, we're told we should be talking about a reliever in AAA who only a handful of people here have ever heard of, much less seen or have something worthwhile to offer on. Huh?

Christian Garcia and there's also Jeff Mandel. Mandel has been starting again and has been very effective.

H-Rod throws 100 mph. Its really HARD TO HIT 100 mph. Today we saw the other power arm the Nats briefly had from rule 5, Elvin Ramirez. Can you see why Rizzo wanted these two guys? Plus Clippard and Storen?

Sure H-Rod issues walks, sure he throws the wild pitch. But does he get shelled? Rarely is the answer. So, they have two guys on the roster who are still trying to get their stuff in shape in Storen and H-Rod. Davey has nine relievers. He also has the best record in baseball. So ... let him have 9 relievers.

He'll likely get called up in September ... or sooner if there are injuries. Otherwise you option Mattheus, Storen, or Stammen and then release CM Wang to open a spot on the 40-man. That's where it is at this point. Except Wang must have watched Lannan's game ... suddenly he is pitching well again.

The other possibility is a trade. Reliever rich? Pitching? Trades to get more prospects. But relievers are usually coveted by teams in contention. And the Nats are right on top of the pile. So, it would have to be an American League team like the Rays, the Orioles trying for a wildcard spot.

NatsJack -- much as I respect your comments, "Rizzo, Davey and McCatty will figure a way to work this out without it impacting the team" doesn't work. It currently affects the team, and will affect the team adversely before the end of the season unless someone from Defense Advanced Research Projects recalibrates Rodriguez's laser. When Werth and Tracy comeback, it will be easy to say bye-bye, for a few weeks, to Moore and Brown. When Desmond comes back (if before August 31) then they will be forced to choose between DeRosa, Stammen and Mattheus. Those choices will hurt if they involve (A) losing DeRosa's veteran savvy; (B) telling people who've pitched valiantly all season their work is less valued than someone who you don't dare put in a game you are trailing by less than ten runs; (C) whichever one goes won't be available for the playoffs absent an injury to someone else. If Rodriguez had blown up Strasburg's good performance this afternoon, I guarantee it would have had a serious negative effect on team chemistry. I don't want to waive him outright. I just want them to find a trade -- for anything, anyone, to anywhere -- and get rid of him, start building the playoff roster, and stop wasting time figuring out how to scam the DL. Management's efforts can be spent more effectively than spending hours scanning MRI's and x-rays for peridontal disease.

Oh, and Henry rarely gets shelled but most hitters can't reach his pitches with a rake.

I describe Henry and people enamored with Velo then Peric at 10:39 gushes about 100mph.

The Mets batters were told not to swing at Henry's pitches until they have 2 strikes on them. Thole walked on 4 straight balls and Torres didn't take the bat off of his shoulders until he got to a 3-2 count. He looked at 2 strikes. At 3-2 he swung ands fouled off a pitch then walked.

What if every team takes that same approach against Henry?

By the way, Henry's velo never went higher than 97. Strasburg threw a few at 97 today and hit 97 twice on the radar gun in the 7th.

peric... who do you think will fill out the 40 man roster in September... pitchers and offense?

There are three pitching slots that may open up. It all depends on how the FO view these players ... whether they are tradable, or viable in the future. They appear to be pretty obvious:1. Cole Kimball (This time he will get past waivers I suspect), 2. Yunesky Maya. (He won't get through but do they need him?) 3. CM Wang (He definitely won't get through. Is he finally there? Trade?)4. Ryan Perry (He definitely won't get through. Looks like a starter. Trade?)5. John Lannan (He may still get traded? Are they going to go with Lannan over Wang?)

One of the above (it looks like Lannan) will likely join the rotation when Strasburg gets shutdown. As for the rest surely Rizzo will try to string them out on the waiver wire to see what happens ... teams in contention may make a claim just to keep the Nats from opening up a slot. The Nats are in that position now.

I think you see Maldonado (unless he gets swapped with Koyie Hill) and that would be a defensive move. I suspect that could happen given that Hill is the starter in Syracuse and if you want a catcher who knows how to handle pitchers on your playoff roster.

Some guys might just get shutdown due to injury or just not invited?

Would they swap lefty power pitcher Attie Severino for Natsjack's guy Christian Garcia? Severino is a left-handed reliever given how Rizzo has chosen in the past that seems out. But, the guy has been in AAA for four years? And people are complaining about H-Rod?

Perry Ryan is a consideration. He has been pitching well for Harrisburg. But he has Lannan and Maya in front of him. And Perry seems more effective as a starter. There's still CM Wang.

Perez and Rivero are both offense and defense and they'll likely be on that roster in September. At this point Anthony Rendon offense and defense has to be considered a good possibility ... then perhaps going as an exception to the AZ Fall league. And if he's healthy Chris Marerro.

Gonat, fair enough. I haven't been reading all the comments. Apparently a whole lot of people thought the H-Rod situation was worth discussing, so much so that there was some repetition. I just don't like someone parachuting in and telling everyone else that they're wasting their time. And then offering up a guy who's not even on the 40 man roster as a more worthy topic.

I thought Constant Reader had a very interesting comment, arguing that H-Rod is the only viable option for the 8th reliever on the playoff roster. My question for the gallery is whether Davey will or ought to go with a 12 man pitching staff (4 starters, 8 relievers) or if 7 relievers are enough, leaving an extra spot for a bench player. If he goes with 8, there are some tricky decisions ahead since that would mean that two of the Goon Squad (Tracy, Bernadina, Moore, Brown, DeRosa) wouldn't be with us in October. (I'm assuming Desi and Werth are back and Lombo is a lock for the playoff roster.)

By the way, Henry's velo never went higher than 97. Strasburg threw a few at 97 today and hit 97 twice on the radar gun in the 7th.

Same as Elvin Ramirez. Same as Attie Severino.

These guys are potentially unhittable ... and H-Rod not because of his 97-102 mph heater but because of the killer slider he follows that with and his change when its working. Same with Stras its the other pitchers that set up the fast ball. Ramirez looked like someone they should have tried to keep on the roster today ... yet he also walked 2 while he was at it.

Ghost Of Steve M. said... The Mets batters were told not to swing at Henry's pitches until they have 2 strikes on them. Thole walked on 4 straight balls and Torres didn't take the bat off of his shoulders until he got to a 3-2 count. He looked at 2 strikes. At 3-2 he swung ands fouled off a pitch then walked.

July 25, 2012 11:12 PM ______________________________

Didn't realize that Torres didn't take his bat off of his shoulders until he got to 2 strikes.

My question for the gallery is whether Davey will or ought to go with a 12 man pitching staff (4 starters, 8 relievers) or if 7 relievers are enough, leaving an extra spot for a bench player.

Davey seems likely to go with four starters (its all you need in those short series), one long man and six relievers. The six should be your best shutdown, kill the rally, strike the guy out to end the inning guys. Your best guns.

You can look at it as a depth chart. Those six guys there now (excluding Stammen and Gorzelanny) are it. Unless they decide to replace H-Rod, say, with a Christian Garcia. Or Storen can't make it all the way back?

Davey is already setting things up for the playoff run. This is why H-Rod is still there. As he likes to say there ain't nothing down in the minors Well, perhaps excluding Christian Garcia but he would have to prove himself in September to pitch in October. He's still below Attie Severino on the relievers depth chart.

That the power arms have very, very HIGH CEILINGS. Something the softer to softest tossers DON'T HAVE.

See erstwhile TB closer and former Nats closer Joel Peralta: 7 home runs, 0.90 WHIP but a 4.15 ERA. Clippard falls under the heading of a "softer" tosser. He peaks at 93 but has the odd throwing motion that hides the ball until the last minute.

When H-Rod is on no one can hit him and he strikes you out. The same with most power arms. The big issue is learning to command 97-100 mph which is no easy task ... something Alex Meyer is learning in the minors as we speak. But look at Meyer's ceiling?

Not power arm makes it but you have a better chance of being higher in the standings when they do ... see Nats relief pitching 2005-2010 and especially 2006-2009.

In the playoffs there are off days and no need for more than four starters (except in the event of injury, and this Nats group could probably survive with three -- any three). Similarly there will be more rest time for relief pitchers and absolutely no need for more than seven, and the right balance of RH and LH could do the job with six. If they get to the WS, they'll need a DH for up to three games -- an additional "position" player. So not only does the BP not need 8 pitchers, the team needs them to make do w/ seven or less. I don't foresee a need for Lannan at all (hardly matters if either he or Jackson can't get out of the first inning; neither one will really be needed except in an oddball situations, such as a game called on account of weather after four innings that burns up an extra starter).

If they can find a way to make Moore eligible for the WS they can DH him against LHs and put Bernadina in LF against RH w/ Morse relegated to the DH slot on those days.

I just dropped in to dispense wisdom without reading everyone else's so please forgive if it has all been covered, but ... Have I mentioned how much fun it is to watch Mike play recently. If Gio is the happiest pitcher, surely Morse is the happiest position player ... Though everyone has a right to be pretty happy these days. Except maybe Hrod. That guy cannot pitch on the road. I wonder if the DL for anxiety is a possibility. Yes he has control issues, but he freaks out on the road. 1.20 ERA at home, 9.82 on the road. Treat the problem. Skills are there.

Don't look now, but the Shark is hitting .484 over the last 10 games and is close to .300 on the season. He has thrown a huge spark into this team with his all around play. He has been running everything down in center. We are a better team without Werth in the line up

I have been reading this blog for several years. I just wanted to mention that Alexva usually posts once on each article, is pretty much spot on and never argues with anyone. It is one of the reasons I enjoy this space so much. There are lots of intelligent people and he/she is one of them.

If you're not interested in the prospects' progress, please ignore the following:

Meyer had another dandy start in Potomac, allowing just two hits in six scoreless innings. He's thrown 12 scoreless innings since he reached Potomac. His ERA for the season (two levels combined) is down to 2.74.

Brian Goodwin homered again at Harrisburg. He'll be on the interstate awhile after his slow start, but he's showing glimmers already.

Someday folks might marvel that the Nats got Rendon, Meyer and Goodwin in the same draft. If Purke or Skole makes the show, that 2011 haul will look remarkable.

When these guys are healthy, they provide power and speed and + defense.

We keep hearing about bringing in veterans to make the offense stronger, but really, catcher is the only hole right now and Wilsom Ramos will return in 2013. So bring in a temporary catcher and all will be well.

Whatsanattau- Yes, Morse is the position player equivalent of Gio. Have you noticed how often these guys hug? No little patty-cake dances in the dugout for them. I think Morse just seems so happy all the time.

Just want to vent a little frustration with the DC media (this has probably been covered already in previous posts). Yesterday, the Nats won their fifth in a row, finished a sweep of the Mets and were then tied for the best record in all of MLB. I get in my car, turn on WTOP radio. And their lead story is what "RG3" had to say about training camp. The Nats were an afterthought. Seriously?

BIGNAT33 said... Just want to vent a little frustration with the DC media (this has probably been covered already in previous posts). Yesterday, the Nats won their fifth in a row, finished a sweep of the Mets and were then tied for the best record in all of MLB. I get in my car, turn on WTOP radio. And their lead story is what "RG3" had to say about training camp. The Nats were an afterthought. Seriously?

July 26, 2012 7:09 AM _________________________________

On ESPN 980 and 106.7 which are all sports spend more time talking about RG3's socks and what he ate for dinner than the Nats.

Just wait for Skins training camp to be fully open. It will be Redskins 24/7 instead of 23/7.

I almost raised that question myself but thought my post was getting too long already. I went out and used this interweb thingy to do some research. Of the last five World Series champs, only last year's Cards had a 12 pitchers on the roster. The other four got by with eleven.

It probably comes down to Tyler Moore versus HRod for the 25th slot in the post season. Given the quality of our starters and the way TMo has been hitting, I can't imagine HRod being the choice unless he does turn back into video game HRod in September.

This is the point where someone, probably Mick, notes that when I do post, I have an annoying habit of coming back later to refute my earlier post.

baseballswami said...Whatsanattau- Yes, Morse is the position player equivalent of Gio. Have you noticed how often these guys hug? No little patty-cake dances in the dugout for them. I think Morse just seems so happy all the time.July 26, 2012 6:59 AM__________________________________I got dressed down a couple of days ago when I suggested that folks that were suggesting trading Michael Morse were nuts. Sorry, but I still feel the same way. Sure his trade value is getting back to peak, and yes an AL contender could sure appreciate him as a DH, but a contender does not trade a productive, happy clubhouse favorite in the middle of a pennant race. Nobody who has ever played, or coached, would argue that the damage done to the chemistry, or team morale,if he were traded, would be horrific. Morse brings an awful lot to this team, both on the field and on the bench, and has paid his dues. If he were traded during this race every single player would feel like management has no use for "team" and that if Morse was expendable, so too would everybody else be expendable.Laddie Blah Blah, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but in my opinion, you are as wrong as wrong can be on this one.

I think Meyer is the real deal. With many of the minor league prospects you have to listen carefully because there are few eye-witness reports. What you don't see/hear about Meyer is lots of BB. Command was supposed to be his problem.

Surprised Goodwin has made it to AA so quickly. I suspect the promotion reflects not just good hitting, decent D but also the ability to learn the nuances of the game. There is such a leap between being a speedy college OF and being a smart OF who reads the flyballs, plays the angles, knows to which base he should be throwing, etc. Goodwin would not have made it to Harrisburg unless he was showing that kind of development.

I 'spect Rendon's next stop in a couple of weeks will be Potomac. He DH'ed in the GCL and needs a few games in the field @ a low level. I doubt they have any interest in rushing him through this year and I suspect there would be a lot of complaining from the P-Nats management if they continued to bypass Woodbridge with their top prospects.

In w/ Joe Seamhead on Morse. Apart from his value to this team and in the clubhouse, you shouldn't exaggerate his value to an AL contender. Sure, he might make a great DH but do you really want to bring a hitter new to the league in your lineup in the middle of a pennant race? What if he goes 0-30 trying to make the adjustment? If some AL team really wants that kind of hitter they can buy Willingham from the Twins. Plus, Morse still has a bit of the injury asterisk on him. Thankfully, I'm pretty certain he's not going anywhere.

We talk about intangibles all the time and I think one of those with the Nats is the team chemistry.It shouldn't be discounted at all. Seems like when a key guy goes down due to injury or someone is dfa'd, they take a couple of days to regroup. Adding or subtracting pieces right now might seem to make sense on the field, but I would hate to see this dynamic messed with. I know there a are a couple yet to come - Tracy, Werth, then Desi, but for the most part this combination of players and coaches really seems to click. Rizzo does seem to take personality type into account. Very team oriented and unselfish players seem to be the template. I love the lack of dugout and off field shenanigans.

Seamhead - agree completely with you on Morse and actually more for the clubhouse/chemistry part, especially at this time of the season. Most of these guys have been injured, played through stuff and have had success like never before. They are clicking on all cylinders right now and its a beautiful thing.

I am not saying the game they lost right after Ankiel was dfa'd was because he was not there, but you better believe it was in their heads. This is a rare group and a rare year and we should embrace it.

We will probably be good for several years with exceptional talent but this team has overachieved and dealt with injuries better than most. Team record reflects that.

I backed down completely a few days ago on Morse, and will live with his D (and his smiles!) for this year. It's not only what you could get for him at his current high value--it's that we don't need anything right now that's worth giving him up. We could use a backup catcher, an insurance infielder that can be stashed in Syracuse--and, what?

Off-season is the time to raise the question again.

In the back of my mind, however, is the spectre of Zimm-Dunn-Hammer as the best 3-4-5 in the National League (they were) and us losing a LOTTA games. I would have welcomed Fielder if he had become a member of our team. But I'm happier with ALR because he makes the whole infield better--and can hit a lick or two.

Don't mean to quibble but I don't think this team has overachieved. A couple of guys, Desmond and Espinosa have started to reach their potential sooner than we expected. What we underestimated was the depth: Harper, Tracy, Flores, Lombardozzi, Moore, Solano, Leon, Detwiler, Clippard, Burnett, Mattheus, and recently Bernadina, have ably filled holes that weren't expected. No other team, this year, has been able to cope with the injuries nearly as well. Every one of these guys has been a good to great player. Mostly, they'll be back next year and most of them likely will at least equal this year's performance.

Where I am in emphatic agreement is that the success owes as much to chemistry as to talent. Players have accepted roles, dealt with the constant shuffling of the lineup, been willing to play Johnson's team-first smart baseball, take advice (some of them sooner rather than later).

Rizzo's big job between now and Opening Day next year is to not screw things up. With a year with a more normal incidence of injury this could easily be a 100-win team.

Trade Morse? No, no, no. Extend Morse - Yes. They can keep Morse and LaRaoche for at least one more year. Injurries seem to be a way of life in this sport. There are no prospects likely to be harmed by blocking them with these guys. If we're lucky, Goodwin or Rendon forces his way up by mid 2013, but probably not. Beyond 2013 you probably can't keep both LaRoche and Morse, but why rush things.

"By the time his 160 innings are up, we're going to be up double-digits in the NL East. And it's not even going to matter"

Agree, barring injuries, of course, and have been saying the same thing for some time, myself. Only it may be Detwiler instead of EJax as the 3rd starter. They are all lights-out when they are on, but EJax has been less consistent, lately, and Detwiler is coming on real strong.

"Assume we have 12 pitchers on our post-season roster. Four starters and eight relievers."

Davey has expressed a preference for 6 relievers, instead of the usual 7, so he can have one more "hairy-chested guy" on the bench. Even with only 4 starters, he will probably need only 3 most of the time, with the 4th in the BP in case one of the others has to be relieved early in the game.

Davey is just not going to go with 8 relievers along with 4 starters, IMO. Our starters, all of them, are going deep into games - 6 or 7 innings most of the time. No need to have an extra guy just sitting in the BP when Davey can have that a extra guy on the bench for late game substitutions and PH duties, especially if that 8th guy is HRod.

I got dressed down a couple of days ago when I suggested that folks that were suggesting trading Michael Morse were nuts.

Same here. I then pointed out that he's a lifetime .296 hitter (can _anyone_ else on the Nats do that -- besides, perhaps, Harper in the future?). And lifetime OPS+ of 127. How do you replace that (unless you're trading for an Andrew McCutcheon or Joey Votto)?

BTW, as a person who criticized Lombo at 2B, he is looking much better this week.

I mentioned Lombo's minor league gold glove -- which was dismissed as irrelevant. Still not sure why (or convinced). My understanding is that he went 122 games at 2b with only one error. He has zero errors this year for the Nats at 2b. (yes, I know that errors are not the only measure of a fielder, but it's not chopped liver, either).

Seamhead, agree. And thinking about it, the first couple of days back at 2B, where he was "slow" and taking extra time to plant himself, that might have been a remnant of being in LF. In LF, to compensate for the weak arm he needed to plant himself firmly so as not to make inaccurate throws. He tracked the ball well in LF, made good catches, and if his throws were short, they mostly were not offline.

I get in my car, turn on WTOP radio. And their lead story is what "RG3" had to say about training camp. The Nats were an afterthought. Seriously?

Yep. I'm sick of it. (And I'm an RG3 fan, too, but, really, I don't care what his thoughts are when training camp hasn't even opened yet).

But, ladies and gentlemen, is there a glimmer of hope?

Driving into work this morning, listening to WTOP, they had that stupid "talkback line" segment, with the question of: who are you more interested in right now, Nats or Redskins, and who will disappoint more?

Yeah, yeah, small sample size, and who knows who's selecting the responses they play and why -- but . . . . they played three call-in responses and all three said they were more interested in the Nats, and all three said the Redskins would disappoint. One added the comment: "Lerners 1, Snyder 0".

Interesting heads-up on Garcia. He was in the Penn League just 2 years ago and has just shot up from there. A cautionary tale for those so quick to discard HRod. Garcia is one year older than HRod, and hasn't seen the ML yet, but has been lights-out for 2 years now, at each level he has been given a chance, and has been devastating in Syracuse.

HRod should be down there, too, working out his mechanics. I can't see him on the post-season 25-man roster, but I don't see the Nats just cutting him loose, either.

NatsLady:Agree that Morse's future should be addressed in the off-season. What about ALR? Is he the long-term solution at 1B? He's a gold-glove defender, but when does TyMo get an opportunity to play his natural position?Re: the Redskins' coverage, enough about RGIII already. I'm sure he's a great kid, but the 'Skins have been losers longer than the Nationals--since 1999 when "The Danny" bought them.

fast eddie, apparently not yet. Davey must have concerns about his D, because even during those couple of weeks when ALR was clearly tired he didn't send TyMo in to spell him. Now that ALR is back to form, I doubt we'll see TyMo except in LF. Has to be something Davey is seeing and not liking, and it's not his bat.

The only guy who seems to be overachieving is Bernie. That Friday game has made the relievers' numbers look a little more human. Probably Det and Gio will flip places in ERA a bit. Morse's power numbers are trending properly, and maybe Flores could get a few hits if he ever healed enough.

"I got dressed down a couple of days ago when I suggested that folks that were suggesting trading Michael Morse were nuts."

Of course you were, because no one was suggesting that Morse be traded, only that he was the most tradable piece that the Nats had, should Rizzo decide to make a big move. I have not heard back from you or anyone else on who Rizzo has available who is more easily replaceable, who is more of a defensive liability, who will soon be in his 30s, and whose trade value is probably at its peak.

If you've got another, better name to trade, let's hear it. Keep the red herrings in the freezer, and off the thread.

I also read the pressboxonline article posted and the two other links within the article. The scary thing, it that it said the MASN deal has a formula and the Nats are arguring not to use it. That is way different the what the market is based on ressent RSN deals. I think it pegged the formula as $42M/year - not enough IMO.

It's clear Morse isn't going anywhere soon. He's producing offensively which was the big problem in the spring. It's also clear, as Laddie said, that if there were to be a big trade, he's the only "big trade piece" we have at the present. But there isn't going to be a big trade because we don't have a big need between now and July 31, just a lot of little needs, insurance-type needs.

If Desi can come back healed and healthy by say, August 15, and Werth comes back, we are good to go position-wise. So you just keep your fingers crossed that are are no injuries on the pitching staff. So far, Davey and McCatty have managed to keep them healthy and no long-lasting "dead arms."

I think Clipp learned a big lesson about being overconfident, because he fooled around too much and it bit him--and the team. I sincerely hope he goes back to what he did when he began closing: no drama, just get them out as efficiently as possible and save your arm!

"I got dressed down a couple of days ago when I suggested that folks that were suggesting trading Michael Morse were nuts.

Same here."

So, which is it?

"Was I _did_ write (the other day) was "why would we ever want to trade him", and cited his stats."

To make the club better, of course. And I have yet to hear from you, or anyone else, of a better candidate for a big trade, should Rizzo decide to make one. Suppose they can't agree on an extension for EJax, and need to plug a hole in the starting rotation for next year, for example.

You have got to give up something to get something, and Morse is the most expendable "something" the Nats have. You can disagree, of course, but neither you nor anyone else has been able to name a better alternative for a big trade than Morse.

"It's also clear, as Laddie said, that if there were to be a big trade, he's the only "big trade piece" we have at the present. But there isn't going to be a big trade because we don't have a big need between now and July 31, just a lot of little needs, insurance-type needs."

Have I ever told you that you are a genius?

There is still some scuttlebutt about a backup middle infielder, but nothing else. Other than that, the Nats are as complete and as deep a ball club as there is in baseball. Injuries can change that, but the Nats have overcome so many of them that it seems like they can defy fate, as well as the rest of the NL East.

Well, if it was taken as a red herring, I'm confused on your meaning. I said the other day that I thought one would be nuts to trade Morse, as a few posters have suggested over the course of the time on this blog. I didn't mean to start a big arguement with you ,Laddie, but you came back with:

Laddie Blah Blah said...

Anybody is tradable for the right deal. What makes him more likely to be traded than others is his value in the market, his redundancy on the roster, both at 1b and in LF, his age, and his lack of defensive skills in the OF.

Am I nuts? Others have suggested that long before you did.

Of course Morse is tradable.July 23, 2012 9:57 AM________________________________________ I implied my opinion this morning that Morse really isn't tradable at this time and that if you felt he was, which I took from your statement on Monday morning "Of course Morse is tradable", then I disagree with you. That's all. It was me, not DC Wonk though. But as has been said, he ain't going anywhere, so I say, I'm sorry that this morphed into morwe then I ever intended. We're all here,[mostly] just rooting for the Nats, and very excited about them. Handshake, Laddie?GYFNG!!!

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About the Author

Mark Zuckerman has covered the Nationals since the franchise arrived in D.C. He's been a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America since 2001 and is a Hall of Fame voter. Email mzuckerman@comcastsportsnet.com.